The Good Girl

Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialitewife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher....

Brilliant performances, moving story

By
Roger
on
09-11-14

Don't Let Go

By:
Harlan Coben

Narrated by:
Steven Weber

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Unabridged

Overall

2,185

Performance

2,003

Story

1,996

With unmatched suspense and emotional insight, Harlan Coben explores the big secrets and little lies that can destroy a relationship, a family, and even a town....

The new Harlan Coben?!

By
shelley
on
10-01-17

Before We Were Yours

A Novel

By:
Lisa Wingate

Narrated by:
Emily Rankin,
Catherine Taber

Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins

Unabridged

Overall

13,611

Performance

12,528

Story

12,465

Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat....

I was rivetted, finished in three days.

By
Lin Cloward
on
06-26-17

The Rooster Bar

By:
John Grisham

Narrated by:
Ari Fliakos

Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4,929

Performance

4,467

Story

4,459

Mark, Todd, and Zola came to law school to change the world, to make it a better place. But now, as third-year students, these close friends realize they have been duped....

Story=Terrible

By
Amazon Customer
on
11-04-17

Publisher's Summary

Charlie Donlea, one of the most original new voices in suspense, returns with a haunting novel, laden with twists and high tension, about two abducted girls - one who returns, one who doesn't - and the forensics expert searching for answers.

Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. When they disappear from a beach party one warm summer night, police launch a massive search. No clues are found, and hope is almost lost until Megan miraculously surfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods. A year later the best-selling account of her ordeal has turned Megan from local hero to national celebrity. It's a triumphant, inspiring story except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing.

Nicole's older sister, Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day soon Nicole's body will be found, and it will be up to someone like Livia to analyze the evidence and finally determine her sister's fate. Instead the first clue to Nicole's disappearance comes from another body that shows up in Livia's morgue - that of a young man connected to Nicole's past. Livia reaches out to Megan for help, hoping to learn more about the night the two were taken. Other girls have gone missing, too, and Livia is increasingly certain the cases are connected. But Megan knows more than she revealed in her blockbuster book. Flashes of memory are coming together, pointing to something darker and more monstrous than her chilling memoir describes. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you've been looking for.

Story

Ending is a jaw dropper!!!!

OMG I was not expecting this book to be as good as it is. Young women are being taken and held hostage. The man wants them to love him. Each time they misbehave or disappoint they get an X, three X's and he kills them. Girls who've been missing for months or a year or two start turning up dead. All but one, she gets away. The problem is she doesn't remember anything about where she was held or by who. That is until the end and that revelation will blow you away. The book does leave you wondering a bit at the end about a last body found or maybe it just leaves the end up to the reader... The book is good and very interesting. I enjoyed this author's writing style. I listened to his other book, "Summit Lake" and thought that was very good but this book far surpasses his other. I think this is an author I will definitely be watching for. If you like Robert Dugoni you will like this author. Nina Alvamar does a wonderful job narrating. This book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. If you found this review helpful please indicate so. Thank You.

Great book!!!

I absolutely LOVED The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea! This was my first book by this author, and it won't be my last! I'll allow you to read about the plot yourself in the description, rather than retelling it to you, but I will say that it is fantastic! It kept me fully engaged from start to finish and on the edge of my seat dying to know what was going to happen next! I definitely did not predict any of the surprising twists that are packed within these pages. And, the ending...wow! Never even crossed my mind the story would end up that way! Charlie Donlea is a great storyteller...to plan out and then write a book like this takes some serious skill and patience! Whew! Great job!

The narration is exactly as I imagined the characters to sound. Nina Alvamar did an excellent job! I would love to listen to more books she has narrated. Her pronunciation, pace, volume, and inflection were right on, in my opinion.

I give this book 5/5 stars across the board and recommend it to those who love the thriller/suspense/mystery genre, as well as to those who enjoy books told in alternating viewpoints as the chapters progress. Fans of authors, such as Mary Kubica, will definitely enjoy The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea.

What a bizarre book

I guess we just can't believe glowing reader reviews on Audible. I usually come out kind of middle of the road opinion-wise, so sometimes do take those reviewers seriously. I can only think some of these must have been paid by the word - as I assume the author was, given the verbose mouldering pile of this book. For awhile I held out, thinking that with the given elements this could turn out to be an interesting read, but really, how far would I have to suspend reality to believe that sexual predators are just lonesome souls looking for love. And I don't know what to make of the metamorphosis of Daisy the Rottweiler into Daisy a Pit Bull in just a few short chapters. That would be quite a trick for a dog.

So I might as well mention, though it seems petty by comparison, that some of the word usage was so far off the mark it made me wonder if English was the author's first language. Was the reader really saying &amp;quot;diverted her eyes&amp;quot; instead of the conventional usage &amp;quot;averted&amp;quot;? I wonder what diverted eyes would look like. I thought I must not have heard right, but by the end was feeling ungenerous enough to blame that on the narrator.

In short, this book needs more than just a good editor. It needs an author capable of creating a serious mystery, not just a cut and paste of every morbid teenage horror story that crops up around Halloween. If I hadn't fallen asleep while this was playing, I never would have reached the last chapter. Seriously, it was an ordeal, and I hope this review will help save someone else the pain.

BUT WAIT

Such a great book. Great plot development, intriguing story. I don't want to ruin anything, because I think it is definitely worth the read, but I was frustrated at the ending. However, I was not "depressed" after reading this book. Personally, I like dark novels. This book was dark, but I would not describe it as excessively twisted or vulgar. Definitely a great read if you like past/present storylines and unexpected twists.

An Excellent Read

Would you listen to The Girl Who Was Taken again? Why?

A 100 per cent. This book was interesting, entertaining, engaging, well developed, and unique. The characters were excellent and the ways in which the narrative was told from multiple points of view (including the novel's villain) and from various points in time, slowly piecing the narrative together with the introduction of new pieces of knowledge that constantly enrich the story, was excellent. This was one of my favourite books I have listened to on Audible. <br/>

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes; refer to above answer.

What about Nina Alvamar’s performance did you like?

She felt like the characters herself; especially Nicole. She brought the characters to life and constantly engaged the reader.

Scary and filled with twists and turns!

I don't often find a book and scares me, or leaves me just a little breathless. I often figure out who the perp is, but Charlie Donlea led me on a merry, scary race.This book was excellent, as is the other Charlie Donlea book I read. Very creepy. Good read.

I Enjoyed the Reader Very Much

It seems hard to find a narrator who doesn't annoy me. I really liked this one very much.

20 of 23 people found this review helpful

Sort by:

Overall

Performance

Story

Anonymous User

06-12-17

Addictive and thrilling

The narrator was easy to listen to, and the story was addictive. I couldn't get enough of the story. Disturbing and memorable, this story will shock you to your core. If you like disturbing thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, read it.